April 1 is the beginning of Earth Month with Earth Day being the highlight on April 22. What are you planning? I would love to know. To mark Earth Month, Wyndham Grand Rio Mar, Wyndham Palmas, the Friends of El Yunque Foundation, and the United States Forest Service announced the signing of a donation agreement that will provide a simple way for tourists to directly support El Yunque National Rainforest in the promotion of its educational programs, conservation, and recreation. Under this agreement, guests of Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Rainforest, Beach and Golf Resort and Wyndham Palmas Beach and Golf Resort will have the...

Bigger than the Taylor Swift effect on our industry? Cosmically speaking, for sure. The upcoming total solar eclipse is definitely stirring up a lot of reservation activity across the U.S. Who knew that a show put on by our own solar system could have such an impact? For those of you who have been in “the dark” about the eclipse, the moon will pass between the Earth and the sun on April 8. In the U.S. the path of totality, where the moon will “cover” the sun in its entirety, will begin in Texas at 1:27 p.m. CDT and end...

A big chunk of the U.S. hotel industry, over the last six to seven months, has demonstrated a strong commitment to rolling out electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. The big question is: Will owners/franchisees get on board? First, in early September, Hilton announced that it has expanded an agreement with Tesla that will result in up to 20,000 Tesla Universal Wall Connectors being installed at 2,000 hotels in the U.S., Canada and Mexico beginning this year. Second, also in September, EV Connect announced an agreement with Marriott International to simplify EV charging for its properties and guests. With EV Connect, Marriott properties...

Trade show and conference season is heating up once again with many events offering opportunities to both learn from speakers and panel discussions and shop for new supplies to build your hotel’s green story and make it more efficient and healthier at the same time. This week’s International Sleep Products Assn. Expo kicks off March 12 in Columbus, Ohio and will run through March 14. The Expo’s 248 exhibitors will display just about every type of bedding, mattress, and pillow imaginable, and more. One highlight: a session entitled, “Navigating the Road to Sustainable Sleep: Best Practices in Sustainable Manufacturing.” The Mattress...

The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) was in the news numerous times this past week and for good reason. It held its second annual Responsible Stay Summit on Wednesday in Washington, D.C. On the same day it announced a partnership with the Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) to operate the Green Key Global hotel sustainability certification program in the U.S. and Canada. One day earlier, AHLA and Procure Impact launched a Dignity of Work Pledge aimed at creating 100,000 hours of paid employment for underserved populations, which supports responsible sourcing practices. Let’s call it a very good week for AHLA and our industry. (By...

Earth Hour and Earth Day have been recognized and marked by many in our industry over the years. Earth Hour this year will be Saturday, March 23 at 8:30 p.m. your local time. Earth Day is April 22. What are you planning to mark these occasions this year? I would love to know. Earth Hour was first launched in 2007. This year the folks behind Earth Hour are aiming for “The Biggest Hour for Earth,” highlighting the current climate and nature crises. The first Earth Day was in 1970. The official Earth Day theme this year is “Planet vs. Plastics”. Earth...

In addition to the many brands and independents that are working hard to connect electric vehicle drivers with EV charging stations, so too is a Georgia-based entrepreneur with his Stay-N-Charge website. I recently spoke with Tony Booth, founder and CEO of the site that is a directory for lodgings with EV charging stations. (Click here for the article.) Whether your property has EV charging stations or not, I encourage you to check out the site. Stay-N-Charge, founded in 2021, currently has more than 1,300 properties listed. Today the site is experiencing about 7,000 to 8,000 unique visits a month. “A...

One of the hottest topics in foodservice is the electrification of the kitchen and there are numerous organized and even legislative efforts to push businesses to go all-electric and eliminate natural gas. The aim is to decarbonize food and beverage operations. To help guide hoteliers, restaurateurs and others toward all-electric kitchens, the William J. Worthen Foundation included a very helpful volume (volume 5) in its “The Building Decarbonization Practice Guide.” The volume title: All-Electric Kitchens: Residential and Commercial, 2nd edition. I highly recommend reading through this section. It builds a very strong case for eliminating natural gas. “Kitchens present superb opportunities...

It is “popping up” everywhere: cork. Known for its wine bottle role, versatile, sustainable cork is being used as a source material in a wide variety of new products. ReCORK just announced it has developed a material made from 75 percent recycled natural cork to be used as a replacement for petroleum-based foam used in shoe soles. The material will be featured in a new line of shoes by ReCORK’s founding company, SOLE. At this past fall’s Boutique Design New York, I was introduced to cork leather by TFS Natural Home’s Suzanne Diamond who showed me an example of how...

It is a start for Red Roof: releasing its first annual report for the company’s signature Purpose With Heart program which was launched in 2023. With this report Red Roof has established a baseline from which to improve. Purpose With Heart contains three essential pillars: Heart For The Planet, which is tied to Red Roof’s impact on the environment and responsible stewardship of natural resources; Room In Your Heart, its societal and charitable giving programs; and Lead With Heart, Red Roof’s responsible governance and leadership initiatives. To give you some sense of the scale of the Red Roof commitment,...